Udaipur sits in a bowl of the Aravalli hills in southern Rajasthan, at about 600 meters, around a chain of artificial lakes built in the sixteenth century. It was founded in 1559 by Maharana Udai Singh II after Akbar took the previous Mewar capital at Chittorgarh, and the dynasty that ruled from here, the Sisodias of Mewar, claim the longest continuous ruling lineage in the world.
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The relevant fact for packing is the altitude and the hills. Udaipur is noticeably more comfortable than Jaipur, Jodhpur or Delhi: a few degrees cooler in summer, greener because the Aravallis catch more monsoon, and far less dusty than the desert cities to the north and west. It is also calmer. The old city around Lake Pichola is walkable, the traffic is a fraction of what it is in the larger Rajasthani cities, and the general intensity is dialled down.
That makes it the gentlest place to start in Rajasthan, and a good first city in India generally.
Two things drive the list. Covered clothing for temples, palaces and general comfort, and a genuine warm layer for winter nights, which surprises people who packed for a hot country and then found themselves cold on a rooftop in January.
What Makes Udaipur Different to Pack For
The season is narrow and it matters
October to March is the season, and outside it the calculation changes completely. October and November are warm days and mild nights. December and January are the coolest, with daytime highs around 24 to 27 and nights dropping to 8 or 10 degrees, which at altitude with a lake breeze feels colder than the number. February and March warm up steadily and are excellent.
April to June reaches 38 to 42 degrees. Sightseeing becomes an early-morning and late-evening activity.
July to September is the monsoon. Udaipur is arguably at its most beautiful then, with the lakes full and the hills green, which is a genuinely different landscape from the Rajasthan of photographs. It is also humid, wet and occasionally disruptive.
Modest dress is about comfort as much as respect
India is not Qatar. There is no dress code with legal force. But covering shoulders and knees changes the experience of being a woman in an Indian city substantially: less staring, fewer comments, easier access to religious sites, and a warmer reception generally.
Loose, long and light is also the correct answer to heat, dust and sun, which is why Indian clothing looks the way it does. A kurta, the long tunic, bought locally for a few pounds and worn over your own trousers, is the single best purchase you can make on arrival.
Temples have specific rules
Shoes off at every temple, which means you will be barefoot on hot stone. Socks help. The Jagdish Temple in the old city, and the Jain temples at Ranakpur if you go, require covered shoulders and knees, and Jain temples also prohibit leather entirely, including belts, bags and watch straps.
Recommended Tours and Experiences
The Udaipur Packing List
Base layers
Two Roman Trail Women's Merino Wool Base Layers ($49-59) in long sleeve. The long sleeve is doing three jobs here: temple and palace dress codes, sun protection on a rooftop or a boat at midday, and warmth on a December night. Merino at 17.5 micron handles the swing between a 27-degree afternoon and a 9-degree evening better than anything else you can pack in the same weight, and it stays fresh across several days of wear in dust and heat, which matters when laundry means a day's turnaround.
Mid layer, which people forget
A Columbia Women's Fast Trek II Jacket ($65). December and January nights at 600 meters with air moving off the lake are cold. Rooftop restaurants, which is where you will eat every evening because that is where the views are, are colder still. Hotels here are built to shed heat and very few have heating.
Covered, loose clothing
Loose cotton or linen trousers, two or three pairs. A maxi or midi skirt. Long tunics or shirts with sleeves. A large light scarf, which is the most versatile item in an Indian suitcase: shoulders, head covering for temples, sun, dust, and a shawl on a cold evening.
Buy a kurta or two locally. They are inexpensive, correct for the climate, and better made for the conditions than anything you brought.
Footwear
Slip-on shoes or sandals you can remove easily, because you will be taking them off at every temple and many shops and homes. Closed walking shoes for the old city's uneven lanes and for Kumbhalgarh if you go, where the fort walls involve real climbing.
The Darn Tough Women's Hiker Micro Crew Merino Socks ($28), two pairs. Merino socks handle heat and dust far better than cotton, and they are what make barefoot temple floors bearable.
Sun and health
A Wide Brim Sun Hat Women UPF 50 ($25), sunglasses and high-factor sunscreen. The rooftops, the boat on Lake Pichola and the palace courtyards are all fully exposed.
DEET Insect Repellent Spray ($12). Mosquitoes around the lakes at dusk, and dengue is present in Rajasthan. This matters more in and after the monsoon.
Rehydration salts, hand sanitiser, and any prescriptions in original packaging. Two litres of water capacity, refilled from filtered or sealed sources only.
Organisation
The Eagle Creek Pack-It Cube Set ($59), which earns its place on a trip where you are in and out of a bag daily and where dust gets into everything.
The Lake Palace: Book Well Ahead
The Taj Lake Palace is the white marble building that appears to float in the middle of Lake Pichola. It was built between 1743 and 1746 as a royal summer palace, became a hotel in 1963, and is the single most photographed thing in Rajasthan. It also appeared in the 1983 Bond film Octopussy, which is screened nightly on half the rooftops in the city, whether you want it or not.
You cannot visit it as a day tripper. Access is limited to guests and to people with a confirmed restaurant reservation, and there is no walk-up. The boat from the palace jetty runs only for those two groups.
What to do about that: book dinner, or afternoon tea, well in advance. In high season, meaning December through February and particularly around Christmas and New Year, that means weeks to months ahead rather than days. Reservations are made through the hotel directly, they require a card, and they are enforced.
Dress code: smart. Not black tie, but no shorts, no beachwear, no flip flops, and men need long trousers. This is one of the two reasons to pack a decent outfit for Udaipur.
If you cannot get in: the terrace at the Ambrai restaurant, or the rooftops on the Hanuman Ghat side, give you the view of the palace at sunset, which is arguably better than being inside it, and cost a fraction as much. The Jagmandir island palace, the other one on the lake, is accessible for lunch and drinks with less difficulty.
What to Wear at Key Sites
City Palace: the largest palace complex in Rajasthan, built over four centuries by successive maharanas. Covered shoulders and knees, comfortable shoes, and two to three hours. The Crystal Gallery inside charges separately and is worth it only if you like Victorian glass.
Jagdish Temple: shoes off, shoulders and knees covered, and it is active rather than a monument, so there will be worship happening. The evening aarti is the time to come.
Boat on Lake Pichola: full sun, no shade. Hat, sunscreen, and a scarf against the glare. Sunset trips book out in season.
Saheliyon ki Bari, the garden of the maidens: shaded, calm, and the coolest place in the city on a hot afternoon.
Monsoon Palace, on a hill above the city: exposed and windy, and the best sunset view. It is inside a wildlife sanctuary, so there is an additional entry fee.
Ranakpur Jain temples, two hours away: covered shoulders and knees, and no leather at all, which includes belts, handbags, camera straps and shoes. They will ask you to leave them at the gate.
Kumbhalgarh fort, also two hours: the second longest continuous wall in the world after the Great Wall of China, at 36 kilometres. Proper shoes, water and a hat. This is a hot exposed climb, not a stroll.
What Not to Bring
Shorts and strappy tops. Legal, and they will make your day harder.
Leather if Ranakpur is on your itinerary, or at least a leather-free option for that day.
Hard-sided luggage if you are moving around Rajasthan by train, where a soft bag is far easier to handle.
Too many shoes. You will remove them constantly. Two pairs, both easy on and off.
An expectation of tap water. Drink sealed or filtered water only, and that includes avoiding ice in cheaper places.
Valuables you would grieve. Theft is not a major problem here, but the general rule holds.
Essential Resources for Women in Udaipur
Emergency numbers in India: 112 is the single national emergency number. 100 reaches the police directly, 102 an ambulance, 101 fire. 1091 is the national women's helpline and 181 the women's distress helpline, both of which are staffed and worth having in your phone.
Tourist police: Rajasthan operates a tourist police unit, present in Udaipur around the City Palace and the main ghats, in identifiable uniforms and generally English-speaking. The national tourist helpline is 1363, available in multiple languages including English, 24 hours.
US consular services: the US Consulate General in Mumbai covers Rajasthan, with the embassy in New Delhi. There is no consulate in Udaipur. Contact details and the after-hours emergency number are at in.usembassy.gov.
Hospitals: Geetanjali Medical College and Hospital and American Hospital Udaipur are the main private facilities used by visitors, both with 24-hour emergency departments and English-speaking staff, and Maharana Bhupal Government Hospital is the main public hospital. Private care requires payment up front or an insurance guarantee, so carry your insurer's emergency number written down separately from your phone.
Official health authority: the Indian Ministry of Health and Family Welfare at mohfw.gov.in.
Official tourism authority: incredibleindia.gov.in nationally and tourism.rajasthan.gov.in for the state.
US State Department travel advisory for India: current advisory level and detail, including the state-by-state notes.
UK FCDO travel advice for India: entry requirements, safety and health guidance. Note that India requires a visa in advance for most nationalities, obtainable as an e-visa.
Solo women safety assessment: Udaipur is among the easier Indian cities for a woman travelling alone. It is small, the old city is walkable, tourism is well established and the general intensity is far below Delhi or Jaipur. That said, the advisories on India as a whole are there for reasons that apply here in reduced form: staring is constant and not usually threatening, unwanted photography happens, and touts around the ghats and the palace are persistent. The practical measures are the ordinary ones. Cover shoulders and knees, which measurably reduces attention. Use prepaid taxis, hotel cars or Uber and Ola rather than hailing, and avoid autorickshaws alone after dark. Do not walk the unlit lanes on the far side of the lake late at night. Be firm and unembarrassed about refusing help you did not ask for, since the gem shop and hotel commission scams here all begin with a friendly stranger. Save 1091 and 1363 in your phone, keep your accommodation address written in Hindi, and be aware that a woman on her own is unusual enough locally to attract curiosity, which is almost always just curiosity.
Reading On
Udaipur is the softest landing in Rajasthan and a good first Indian city. The India travel guide for women covers the country and the Rajasthan travel guide for women the state, with Jaipur the usual next stop and Delhi the likely arrival point. Further south, the Kerala travel guide for women covers a very different India. The Udaipur travel guide for women goes deeper on the city, and the travel packing guide for women is the parent for all destinations. For why a merino long sleeve covers both a temple dress code and a cold rooftop dinner, the merino wool base layer guide explains the fibre, and the full collection is at Roman Trail women's merino base layers.
If the outer journey is calling you, the inner one usually is too. Explore SoulMap at romantrail.com/blogs/soulmap.
